10 ms·

In case anybody else is wondering what the two ccTLDs on the list are: - .an was the Netherlands Antilles, now replaced by its constituents .cw, .sx and .bq -

In case anybody else is wondering what the two ccTLDs on the list are: - .an was the Netherlands Antilles, now replaced by its constituents .cw, .sx and .bq - .tp was East Timor, now renamed Timor Leste (.tl) There are plenty more not listed here though, including .su (Soviet Union) and .yu (Yugoslavia).

eqvinox 6y ago
.su isn't listed because it's still active.
- skissane 6y ago
  I don't think .su will ever die. Come 2091, people will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union, and .su will still be alive and kicking.
  - ex3ndr 6y ago
    No one is going to celebrate this.
    - skissane 6y ago
      Commemorate might be the better word. But I'm sure somebody somewhere is going to be celebrating. America's hawkish (neo)conservatives continue to celebrate the fall of the Soviet Union. "Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr beat the USSR!" (Maybe that is an oversimplification of the truth, but it sounds good to their ears.) In 2091, there is likely to exist some intellectual successor/descendant to that school of thought, eager to mark that centenary. What do the Russian Orthodox think? They went from an authoritarian regime which officially opposed the Russian Orthodox Church to a (still rather authoritarian, but arguably somewhat less so) regime which wants to be publicly seen currying favour with it. I'm sure some of them view that as an improvement. If that's what some of them think, why wouldn't they celebrate in 2091? What about the countries which gained their independence through the downfall of the Soviet Union? I think many people in many of those countries will be celebrating the centenary of their independence.
      - emteycz 6y ago
        The day Soviet tanks left our country in 90s is still celebrated with fireworks. And Velvet Revolution Day is the biggest annual celebration, literally most of the country celebrates, with special events (photos, movies theatre...) everywhere that try to describe how bad it used to be.
      - agapon 6y ago
        > But I'm sure somebody somewhere is going to be celebrating. For sure. https://imgur.com/gallery/L9VNpP4 https://imgur.com/gallery/L9VNpP4
  - CydeWeys 6y ago
    There are still active domains on it so it can't die unless someone somehow forcefully expropriates those domains from their owners (and seeing as how the Soviet Union no longer exists I think it'd only fall to ICANN to do that). I think it'll just continue living on as a zombie forever.
    - george3d6 6y ago
      > forcefully expropriates heh
  - hakfoo 6y ago
    I'm surprised it doesn't enjoy some currency as something analogous to .eu for the CIS or former-Soviet countries in general. There are probably a lot of firms that serve many of these countries, and having a single unified presence at foo.su is probably more efficient than registering foo.ru, foo.ua, foo.kz, foo.lv, etc.
    - yoz-y 6y ago
      A lot of people don't see past attachment to Soviet Union as positive. So I doubt this would have much usage except for fun.
- ainar-g 6y ago
  For those wondering, the types of domains and sites that still use .su today (according to my personal experience) are: 1. Sites that were created back then and just stayed (a very low number). 2. Sites of organisations operating in most of the ex-USSR or CIS countries. 3. People who are nostalgic or associate themselves more with the Soviet Union than with any of the states that exist in its territory today. 4. Just-for-fun types of people.
  - sippeangelo 6y ago
    Fair amount of linux centric domains as well. I wanted to get one, but my parents wouldn't let me send my passport to russia...
  - whizzter 6y ago
    Naturally some Finns seems to have registered kos.su (kossu is Finnish slang for the Koskenkorva vodka), even seems to have functioned as an url-shorterner for a while. :)
egberts 6y ago
In Soviet Russia, domain name never dies.
- dane-pgp 6y ago
  I think that should be: In Soviet Russia, top level authority expires you!
- dkjaudyeqooe 6y ago
  In Soviet Russia, domains name you!
  - mkoryak 6y ago
    I am russian, and while I understand why these types of jokes exist, I never understood why they are "jokes". Are they actually funny? Was the first one funny but then people kept making more which aren't funny? Why is it a joke to use sentence structure from another language? Also, OPs post was actually clever, which can't be said of 99% of these things
    - t0astbread 6y ago
      It's one of those things, I think, where the individual jokes aren't meant to be funny but rather the fact that they're all terrible yet people keep telling them is the real joke. Similar to Chuck Norris jokes. As for the foreign language part, it's probably meant to lean into stereotypes about Russian English speakers to emphasize the "trashiness" of the joke. You could have an ethical discussion about that.
    - dane-pgp 6y ago
      The first ones were definitely funny, and the format was popularized as part of a successful stand-up comedy routine by Yakov Smirnoff, although he wasn't the first to use it.[0] Because the template can be filled with a wide variety of specific nouns and verbs, it has become a bit of a snowclone[1] or a meme in its own right[2], like the "Xzibit Yo Dawg" meme[3]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Soviet_Russia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Soviet_Russia [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowclone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowclone [2] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-soviet-russia https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-soviet-russia [3] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg
leipert 6y ago
My favorite TLD that never was used is .dd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dd
- NetOpWibby 6y ago
  The owner of `dd/` might let you register an SLD someday. https://www.namebase.io/domains/dd https://www.namebase.io/domains/dd
  - lathiat 6y ago
    Namebase is not part of the "traditional" DNS and names are not available on normal ISP nameservers, so people can't use it unless they switch to using the blockchain "namebase" DNS.
    - NetOpWibby 6y ago
      This is very true. Namebase is a marketplace atop of the Handshake protocol. Puma Browser supports it natively, as well as NextDNS. If you really want your own TLD (or even to have your own name as a TLD), Namebase is the way to go (for now). Maybe I should've added this information to my initial comment, I seem to have angered some folks.
      - duskwuff 6y ago
        Namebase is one in a long series of amateur projects (AlterNIC, OpenNIC, Namecoin...) which have aimed to create their own DNS roots. Every single one of them has the exact same problem: the purpose of a domain name system is to agree upon naming. Alternate roots break that model, and any attempt to use them seriously immediately runs into massive interoperability problems (e.g. cannot send/receive email, cannot obtain SSL certificates, etc).
        NetOpWibby 6y ago
        I haven't examined why others have failed so I have no rebuke on how "this time it's different." However, I can speak to your last points. Email sending between addresses utlizing Handshake domains has been demonstrated. I am unable to find any tweets but here's a video explaining how to do it[0]. Concerning security certificates, this is possibly via DANE rather than a centralized authority like LetsEncrypt. There is a tutorial[1] for that as well. Regarding name collisions, Handshake's purpose isn't to replace legacy DNS, but to build atop it. It is for this reason that the Alexa top sites aren't available for bidding on Namebase. Again, I haven't looked at the amateur projects you've listed but it's possibly Handshake's focus is a key distinction. -- [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUUO6Jswk0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUUO6Jswk0 [1]: https://ras.cr/handshake-tutorial.html https://ras.cr/handshake-tutorial.html
pzb 6y ago
I put together a historical list of TLDs that had been removed in 2017: https://github.com/pzb/TLDs/blob/master/removed/rmtlds.csv https://github.com/pzb/TLDs/blob/master/removed/rmtlds.csv . It overlaps with the early part of this list. .cs was the first removed TLD as far as I was able to find.

eqvinox 6y ago

.su isn't listed because it's still active.

skissane 6y ago
I don't think .su will ever die. Come 2091, people will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union, and .su will still be alive and kicking.
- ex3ndr 6y ago
  No one is going to celebrate this.
  - skissane 6y ago
    Commemorate might be the better word. But I'm sure somebody somewhere is going to be celebrating. America's hawkish (neo)conservatives continue to celebrate the fall of the Soviet Union. "Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr beat the USSR!" (Maybe that is an oversimplification of the truth, but it sounds good to their ears.) In 2091, there is likely to exist some intellectual successor/descendant to that school of thought, eager to mark that centenary. What do the Russian Orthodox think? They went from an authoritarian regime which officially opposed the Russian Orthodox Church to a (still rather authoritarian, but arguably somewhat less so) regime which wants to be publicly seen currying favour with it. I'm sure some of them view that as an improvement. If that's what some of them think, why wouldn't they celebrate in 2091? What about the countries which gained their independence through the downfall of the Soviet Union? I think many people in many of those countries will be celebrating the centenary of their independence.
    - emteycz 6y ago
      The day Soviet tanks left our country in 90s is still celebrated with fireworks. And Velvet Revolution Day is the biggest annual celebration, literally most of the country celebrates, with special events (photos, movies theatre...) everywhere that try to describe how bad it used to be.
    - agapon 6y ago
      > But I'm sure somebody somewhere is going to be celebrating. For sure. https://imgur.com/gallery/L9VNpP4 https://imgur.com/gallery/L9VNpP4
- CydeWeys 6y ago
  There are still active domains on it so it can't die unless someone somehow forcefully expropriates those domains from their owners (and seeing as how the Soviet Union no longer exists I think it'd only fall to ICANN to do that). I think it'll just continue living on as a zombie forever.
  - george3d6 6y ago
    > forcefully expropriates heh
- hakfoo 6y ago
  I'm surprised it doesn't enjoy some currency as something analogous to .eu for the CIS or former-Soviet countries in general. There are probably a lot of firms that serve many of these countries, and having a single unified presence at foo.su is probably more efficient than registering foo.ru, foo.ua, foo.kz, foo.lv, etc.
  - yoz-y 6y ago
    A lot of people don't see past attachment to Soviet Union as positive. So I doubt this would have much usage except for fun.
ainar-g 6y ago
For those wondering, the types of domains and sites that still use .su today (according to my personal experience) are: 1. Sites that were created back then and just stayed (a very low number). 2. Sites of organisations operating in most of the ex-USSR or CIS countries. 3. People who are nostalgic or associate themselves more with the Soviet Union than with any of the states that exist in its territory today. 4. Just-for-fun types of people.
- sippeangelo 6y ago
  Fair amount of linux centric domains as well. I wanted to get one, but my parents wouldn't let me send my passport to russia...
- whizzter 6y ago
  Naturally some Finns seems to have registered kos.su (kossu is Finnish slang for the Koskenkorva vodka), even seems to have functioned as an url-shorterner for a while. :)

egberts 6y ago

In Soviet Russia, domain name never dies.

dane-pgp 6y ago
I think that should be: In Soviet Russia, top level authority expires you!
dkjaudyeqooe 6y ago
In Soviet Russia, domains name you!
- mkoryak 6y ago
  I am russian, and while I understand why these types of jokes exist, I never understood why they are "jokes". Are they actually funny? Was the first one funny but then people kept making more which aren't funny? Why is it a joke to use sentence structure from another language? Also, OPs post was actually clever, which can't be said of 99% of these things
  - t0astbread 6y ago
    It's one of those things, I think, where the individual jokes aren't meant to be funny but rather the fact that they're all terrible yet people keep telling them is the real joke. Similar to Chuck Norris jokes. As for the foreign language part, it's probably meant to lean into stereotypes about Russian English speakers to emphasize the "trashiness" of the joke. You could have an ethical discussion about that.
  - dane-pgp 6y ago
    The first ones were definitely funny, and the format was popularized as part of a successful stand-up comedy routine by Yakov Smirnoff, although he wasn't the first to use it.[0] Because the template can be filled with a wide variety of specific nouns and verbs, it has become a bit of a snowclone[1] or a meme in its own right[2], like the "Xzibit Yo Dawg" meme[3]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Soviet_Russia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Soviet_Russia [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowclone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowclone [2] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-soviet-russia https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-soviet-russia [3] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/xzibit-yo-dawg

leipert 6y ago

My favorite TLD that never was used is .dd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dd

NetOpWibby 6y ago
The owner of `dd/` might let you register an SLD someday. https://www.namebase.io/domains/dd https://www.namebase.io/domains/dd
- lathiat 6y ago
  Namebase is not part of the "traditional" DNS and names are not available on normal ISP nameservers, so people can't use it unless they switch to using the blockchain "namebase" DNS.
  - NetOpWibby 6y ago
    This is very true. Namebase is a marketplace atop of the Handshake protocol. Puma Browser supports it natively, as well as NextDNS. If you really want your own TLD (or even to have your own name as a TLD), Namebase is the way to go (for now). Maybe I should've added this information to my initial comment, I seem to have angered some folks.
    - duskwuff 6y ago
      Namebase is one in a long series of amateur projects (AlterNIC, OpenNIC, Namecoin...) which have aimed to create their own DNS roots. Every single one of them has the exact same problem: the purpose of a domain name system is to agree upon naming. Alternate roots break that model, and any attempt to use them seriously immediately runs into massive interoperability problems (e.g. cannot send/receive email, cannot obtain SSL certificates, etc).
      - NetOpWibby 6y ago
        I haven't examined why others have failed so I have no rebuke on how "this time it's different." However, I can speak to your last points. Email sending between addresses utlizing Handshake domains has been demonstrated. I am unable to find any tweets but here's a video explaining how to do it[0]. Concerning security certificates, this is possibly via DANE rather than a centralized authority like LetsEncrypt. There is a tutorial[1] for that as well. Regarding name collisions, Handshake's purpose isn't to replace legacy DNS, but to build atop it. It is for this reason that the Alexa top sites aren't available for bidding on Namebase. Again, I haven't looked at the amateur projects you've listed but it's possibly Handshake's focus is a key distinction. -- [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUUO6Jswk0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUUO6Jswk0 [1]: https://ras.cr/handshake-tutorial.html https://ras.cr/handshake-tutorial.html

pzb 6y ago

I put together a historical list of TLDs that had been removed in 2017: https://github.com/pzb/TLDs/blob/master/removed/rmtlds.csv https://github.com/pzb/TLDs/blob/master/removed/rmtlds.csv . It overlaps with the early part of this list. .cs was the first removed TLD as far as I was able to find.